The Houston Rockets had one of their biggest wins of the season on Sunday when they overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat the Sacramento Kings on the road. In the process, however, they suffered a big injury scare when star center Alperen Sengun went down late in the fourth quarter.
The play came with less than a minute to play and the Rockets leading by eight. Kings center Domantas Sabonis stole the ball and raced down the floor for a layup. Sengun chased him down and fouled him, but landed awkwardly and immediately looked to be in significant pain.
On Monday, ESPN reported that an MRI revealed Sengun avoided “major injury.” Sengun reportedly is dealing with a severely sprained ankle and a bone bruise in his knee. There is no timetable for a potential return for Sengun.
Here’s the play where he was injured:
Sengun remained on the ground for several minutes. He ultimately needed to be taken off of the floor in a wheelchair.
Sengun was having a breakout season for the Rockets. New coach Ime Udoka decided to build much more of Houston’s offense around the third-year center, and Sengun has rewarded him with 21.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and five assists per game this season. Even despite Houston’s slide down the standings, he was still expected to finish near the top of the voting for the Most Improved Player award.
Without Sengun, Houston is very thin in the front court. The Rockets traded for Steven Adams at the deadline hoping he would be their backup center next season, but he is out for this season due to an injury he suffered in Memphis. Young forward Tari Eason is also out for the year due to a leg injury. The Rockets are already 4.5 games out of the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference. If Sengun misses significant time, any slim hope they might have had of reaching the postseason is likely gone.
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